


Fishing Pond

by tiger9in1



Series: Malakardi [3]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:01:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23731240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiger9in1/pseuds/tiger9in1
Summary: Mishima and Malakardi go on a date to the fishing pond. Malakardi is fascinated by the fish, as per usual.
Relationships: Mishima Yuuki/Original Character(s), Mishima Yuuki/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Malakardi [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824058
Kudos: 4





	Fishing Pond

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little slice-of-life fic. It's set in the same universe in "Shadows of the Past", just farther along in the story than I've currently posted. I hope it looks all right, I'm self-conscious about this one.

On the train ride to Ichigaya, Mishima couldn’t help but think of the cute girl beside him. To be honest, he couldn’t believe any of this was really happening. It felt too much like a dream. He had a date with a girl -a real, live girl- and she hadn’t cancelled or stood him up. She’d gone on two dates, with him, in fact, and today marked the third. That alone meant the world to him, but this girl, Hiraoka-chan--Marika, he corrected himself—meant more still.

She was the kindest person he’d ever met. The first person to look at him like she truly cared. He still cherished the book she’d lent to him, though he hadn’t finished reading it yet. She was the last person he’d expect kindness from, since he’d been the one to spread rumors about her online. Kamoshida ordered him to; he hadn’t known at the time she’d stood up to Kamoshida to protect him. He felt a pang of guilt.

“Hey, you okay?”

He looked up, and Marika was staring at him, her dark green eyes full of worry. She reached up a hand to touch his face, but seemed to think better of it, and dropped it back to her side. Somehow, he was disappointed.

“I’m fine,” he said, smiling. He didn’t want to dwell on the past. Today was joy, and who knew how long that could last? She didn’t seem convinced, but finally she nodded and they resumed the journey in silence.

When they got to the fishing pond, however, Marika positively beamed. “I didn’t know you can catch fish here in the city!” she shouted excitedly. “This will be fun!”

Mishima chuckled, but he couldn’t imagine what she meant by that. Fishing could be relaxing, sure, but it wasn’t that special, and it definitely wasn’t exciting. He hadn’t thought of it as a particularly romantic place, and had brought it up among a wide list of available activities. He remembered how her eyes lit up, how she jumped up and down begging to go, and how she’d grabbed him around the waist in a tight hug (not the first time she’d done that) when he said they could. He shook his head. Her enthusiasm was infectious.

When they got to the pond, which consisted several long concrete pools, they paid for their rods and bait. It was higher-priced than Mishima would have liked, but he didn’t say a word about it, and Marika’s wide-eyed expression was worth it anyway. She held one of the small boilie on her hand, sniffing it curiously. She held the rod with equal curiosity, with a baffled look as though unsure what to do.

“What are we supposed to do with this?” she said.

It was Mishima’s turn to stare. “We put the bait on the hook, like this, see?” He showed her, and she nodded in recognition.

“Oh, they meant fishing with a rod!” she said. “That makes sense.”

Mishima laughed, staring at her incredulously. “You’re kidding, right? You haven’t done this before?”

“I have!” she said hotly. “But it has been a long time,” she admitted quietly, embarrassed. “At home, I usually fish with a net.”

“I don’t that’s going to work here,” said Mishima, gesturing around to the lack of space, as well as the other people fishing.

“You’d be surprised,” said Marika slyly. “But it’s probably best not to take all the fish. Besides, I like a challenge.”

They took their places by the pond, Mishima sitting on one of the crates and Marika sitting cross-legged on the ground beside him. She held the fishing rod with considerably more grace now, and both she and Mishima cast their lines into the pond.

“Now, to wait,” said Marika, and she crept closer to the water, lying flat on her stomach with her face on the very edge of the pond. Mishima saw several people give her weird looks, and he couldn’t blame them. But there was something captivating about her complete enjoyment of the moment, alert and relaxed at the same time.

After a long while, she felt a tug on her line. “I got one!” she shouted, sitting up and quickly reeling it in. It proved to be a Tokyo bitterling, so tiny it fit in the palm of her hand. She brought it up to her face, staring at it in fascination. “Look at its tiny scales,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”

She continued to stare at the fish while Mishima reeled in his line and recast it, hoping to find a better spot. He swore she uttered the word _delicious_.

After he finished, she recast her line and resumed her posture. “Where’s the fish?” he asked.

“Oh.” Marika flushed red and looked down. “I, um, threw it back in. I finished looking at it.”

“You’re supposed to save those,” said Mishima. “You get points based on their size, and you can turn them in for prizes. Some of them have tags too, which double the points.”

“Oh.” She was silent for a moment, pondering. “Wait, does that mean you have to give up the fish? Can’t you keep them?”

“You could, if you want to,” said Mishima. “What would you do with them?”

“I…uh…” Marika blushed again. In a tiny voice, she whispered, “Eat them.”

“ _Eat_ them?” said Mishima incredulously.

“Yes,” said Marika. “They look so delicious.”

Something clicked in Mishima’s mind. “Tell me you didn’t…” He was scared of the answer, not sure he wanted to know.

“I did,” said Marika, cringing. “I’m sorry, I know it’s wrong, but I couldn’t help it! It was so good!”

Mishima stared at her in silence, he eyes darting from her to the pond and back. There was nothing to say, nothing at all to make the situation less ridiculous. At last, a burst of laughter exploded out of him, and he nearly fell of the box he was sitting on. He saw Marika looking at him in alarm. He shook his head in wonder at this profoundly weird, adorable girl. She stared at the ground, looking so downcast that Mishima felt a pang of sympathy. He knelt to the ground next to her and gave her a hug.

“You’re not mad?” she asked in surprise.

“Of course not, but…why?”

Marika sighed. “I always have. My family lived beside the ocean, and they always did.” She looked up at him. “I know it’s weird. I’m trying to stop, but…” she shrugged. “It feels like home.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I guess so,” said Marika. “I’ve been told that a lot lately.”

“Maybe you’d prefer sushi?” said Mishima, grinning.

Marika laughed. “Grandmother told me the same thing.”

Mishima remembered her grandmother’s wisdom, and the laughter in her eyes, from his last visit. He nodded.

Somehow, the two went back to fishing, with Marika leaning against Mishima’s leg. They caught a fair number of fish, too, though Mishima watched to make sure Marika didn’t eat any more of them.

“Hey, that one had pretty colors!” said Marika, as Mishima took yet another fish out of her grasp and put it in the bucket. “I wanted to draw it!”

“Go ahead,” he said, “but that fish stays where it is.”

“Since when did you become so brave?” she teased.

“Since my girlfriend started eating questionable foods.” He then stopped and a flush came to his cheeks as he realized what he just said. “I, uh, sorry, I didn’t mean…”

Marika threw her arms around him. “It’s okay. I like you. I’m glad to be your girlfriend.”

Warmth spread through Mishima at those words. He didn’t deserve such happiness. He couldn’t believe he could care about someone this much, or they could for him. They sat in silence as the afternoon wore on.

They collected their prizes, and Mishima walked her home.

“You’re welcome to stay the night, if you like,” said Marika. “We’ve got cushions on the floor again.”

Mishima remembered how cramped the apartment was, how Marika and her grandmother both slept in the living room. Still, it was comforting, and better than the loneliness of home. “No thanks. Next time, maybe.”

Can you keep a secret?” whispered Marika, moving closer.

After confirming, Marika said, “When we’re alone like this…” she paused. “Can you please call me Malakardi?”

Mishima was surprised, and confused. “Sure, if you want.”

“Thank you,” and Marika threw her arms around him again. “I had a good time. See you tomorrow.”

There was so much he still didn’t understand about this girl. But as he left, he said, “See you…Malakardi.”


End file.
